Azalea plant named ‘Arismajesty’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of Azalea plant named ‘Arismajesty’, characterized by its dark green-colored leaves that do not abscise during the cooling and forcing periods; uniform, outwardly spreading and mounding plant habit; freely branching habit; uniform and freely flowering habit; large purple-colored flowers; semi-double flower form; and excellent postproduction longevity with plants maintaining good flower substance for about four weeks in an interior environment.

Botanical designation: Rhododendron hybrida.

Cultivar denomination: ‘ARISMAJESTY’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Azalea plant, botanically known as Rhododendron hybrida, an evergreen greenhouse-forcing type Azalea, and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Arismajesty’.

The new Azalea plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Alva, Fla. The objective of the breeding program is to create new Azalea varieties having uniform plant habit, profuse and uniform flowering response, dark green foliage, good foliage retention during the cooling and forcing periods, resistance to Cylindrocladium and excellent postproduction longevity.

The new Azalea plant originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in January, 1999, in Alva, Fla., of the Azalea ‘Ostalett’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,508, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietary selection of Azalea identified as code number YB-1556, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Azalea was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled greenhouse environment in Alva, Fla. in August, 2001.

Asexual reproduction of the new Azalea plant by terminal cuttings taken in a controlled environment in Alva, Fla. since February, 2002, has shown that the unique features of this new Azalea are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Azalea have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature and light intensity without, however, any variance in genotype. The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Arismajesty’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Arismajesty’ as a new and distinct Azalea cultivar:

-   -   1. Dark green-colored leaves that do not abscise during the         cooling and forcing periods.     -   2. Uniform, outwardly spreading and mounding plant habit.     -   3. Freely branching habit.     -   4. Uniform and freely flowering habit.     -   5. Large purple-colored flowers.     -   6. Semi-double flower form.     -   7. Excellent postproduction longevity with plants maintaining         good flower substance for about four weeks in an interior         environment.

Plants of the new Azalea differ from plants of the female parent, ‘Ostalett’, in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Azalea are not as outwardly spreading as         plants of ‘Ostalett’.     -   2. Plants of the new Azalea flower more faster than plants of         ‘Ostalett’.     -   3. Flowers of plants of the new Azalea are lighter purple in         color than flowers of plants of ‘Ostalett’.

Plants of the new Azalea differ from plants of the male parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Azalea are more outwardly spreading than         plants of the male parent selection.     -   2. Flowers of plants of the new Azalea are darker purple in         color than flowers of plants of the male parent selection.

Plants of the new Azalea can be compared to plants of ‘Majesty’, not patented. Plants of the new Azalea and ‘Majesty’ differ primarily in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Azalea are more compact and more uniformly         mounding than plants of ‘Majesty’.     -   2. Plants of the new Azalea have semi-double flowers whereas         plants of ‘Majesty’ have single flowers.     -   3. Plants of the new Azalea and ‘Majesty’ differ in flower color         as plants of ‘Majesty’ have dark wine red-colored flowers.

Plants of the new Azalea can also be compared to the plants of ‘Provence’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 18,947. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Azalea differed from plants of ‘Provence’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Azalea had larger flowers than plants of         ‘Provence’.     -   2. Plants of the new Azalea had semi-double purple-colored         flowers whereas plants of ‘Provence’ had double lavender-colored         flowers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Azalea plant. These photographs show the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description, which accurately describe the colors of the new Azalea plant.

The photograph on the first sheet comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Arismajesty’.

The photograph on the second sheet is a close-up view of typical flowers of ‘Arismajesty’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photographs and following observations and measurements describe plants grown in Alva, Fla. with three plants per 15-cm containers, in a polypropylene-covered shade house during the late spring and under commercial production conditions. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 13° C. to 37° C. and night temperatures ranged from 0° C. to 26° C. Plants were pinched at planting, pinched a second time about twelve weeks later and then pinched a third time about twelve weeks after the second pinch. After sufficient flower bud development, plants were cooled at 3° C. to 5° C. for four weeks to break flower bud dormancy. Plants were subsequently forced into flower under commercial production conditions in a polyethylene-covered greenhouse. Plants used for the photographs and description were one year old. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2007 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Rhododendron hybrida ‘Arismajesty’. -   Commercial classification: Evergreen greenhouse-forcing type Azalea. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Rhododendron hybrida ‘Ostalett’,             disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,508.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Proprietary selection of             Rhododendron hybrida identified as code number YB-1556, not             patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—By terminal vegetative cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About five weeks at             temperatures of 24° C.         -   Time to initiate roots, winter.—About six weeks at             temperatures of 24° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About nine             weeks at temperatures of 24° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter.—About eleven             weeks at temperatures of 24° C.         -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous, and white in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; moderately dense. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant form and growth habit.—Perennial, evergreen; uniform,             outwardly spreading and mounding plant habit; broad inverted             triangle; moderately vigorous to vigorous growth habit;             densely foliated; full and bushy plant form; uniform and             freely flowering habit with numerous semi-double flowers per             plant.         -   Branching habit.—Freely branching habit with about four             primary lateral branches develop after the initial pinch             (removal of terminal apex); numerous secondary and tertiary             branches develop after the sequential second and third             pinches.         -   Plant height, soil level to top of flowers.—About 23 cm.         -   Plant diameter, area of spread.—About 37 cm.         -   Lateral branch description.—Length: About 24 cm. Diameter at             base: About 4 mm. Internode length: About 1.5 cm. Strength:             Strong. Texture, developing: Pubescent, fine brown hairs.             Texture, mature: Woody; pubescent, fine brown hairs. Color,             developing: Close to 144A. Color, mature: Close to 165A.         -   Foliage description.—Arrangement: Alternate, single. Foliage             retention: Very good foliage retention on plants of the new             Azalea that have been in a box for six weeks during the             cooling treatment. Length: About 5.8 cm. Width: About             2.7 cm. Shape: Mostly elliptic. Apex: Mucronate. Base:             Attenuate. Margin: Entire. Venation pattern: Pinnate.             Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Pubescent; leathery,             tough. Color: Developing and fully expanded leaves, upper             surface: Darker than 147A; venation, darker than 147A.             Developing and fully expanded leaves, lower surface: Close             to 147B; venation, close to 146B to 146C. Petiole: Length:             About 1.2 cm. Diameter: About 3 mm. Texture, upper and lower             surfaces: Pubescent. Color, upper and lower surfaces: Close             to 146A to 146B. -   Flower description:     -   -   Natural flowering season.—Spring after sufficient cool             period. If forced, plants typically flower about one month             after a four-week cooling treatment; relatively rapid             flowering response.         -   Flower arrangement and appearance.—Flowers arranged singly             at terminals with usually about three flowers per apex;             uniform and freely flowering habit, flowers face upward or             outward.         -   Flower appearance.—Flowers rotate and rose-like; semi-double             flower form with a single outer whorl of five petals and an             inner whorl of four to six petaloids (transformed             reproductive organs).         -   Postproduction longevity.—Excellent postproduction             longevity; under interior conditions, plants maintain good             flower substance for about four weeks; flowers persistent.         -   Fragrance.—None detected.         -   Flower diameter.—About 6.3 cm.         -   Flower depth.—About 2.2 cm.         -   Flower bud (before showing color).—Length: About 1.2 cm.             Diameter: About 6 mm. Shape: Ovoid. Color: Close to 146B to             146C.         -   Petals/petaloids.—Arrangement: Semi-double flower form; one             outer whorl of five petals and a single whorl of four to six             imbricate petaloids; petals and petaloids fused at the base;             petaloids variable in size and shape. Petals: Length: About             3.6 cm. Width: About 2.6 cm. Petaloids: Length: About             1.5 cm. Width: About 1 cm. Shape, petals: Beyond fused base,             roughly spatulate with rounded apex. Margin, petals and             petaloids: Entire; undulate and ruffled. Texture, petals and             petaloids, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous;             velvety. Color, petals and petaloids: When opening, upper             and lower surfaces: Close to 72A. Fully opened, upper and             lower surfaces: More intense than N74A; towards the center             and base, between N74C to 75C; spots and speckles, close to             60A.         -   Sepals.—Arrangement: Five in a single whorl, fused;             subtending the petals. Length: About 7 mm. Width: About             4 mm. Shape: Elliptic. Apex: Acute. Base: Fused. Texture,             upper and lower surfaces: Pubescent. Color, upper surface:             Close to 144A. Color, lower surface: Close to 146A.         -   Peduncles.—Length: About 1.75 cm. Diameter: About 3 mm             Angle: Mostly upright. Strength: Flexible; strong. Texture:             Pubescent. Color: Close to 144A.         -   Reproductive organs.—None observed, stamens and pistils             transformed into petaloids.         -   Seed/fruit.—Seed and fruit development have not been             observed. -   Weather/temperature tolerance: Plants of the new Azalea have been     observed to be very tolerant to rain and wind. Plants of the new     Azalea have been observed to tolerate temperatures from about 0° C.     to about 38° C. -   Disease/pest resistance: Plants have not been observed to be     resistant to pathogens and pests common to Azaleas. 

1. A new and distinct cultivar of Azalea plant named ‘Arismajesty’ as illustrated and described. 